lit_chick's 2016 Reading (2)

All aboard for 2016's literary adventures, everyone!

This is my sixth year with our most articulate 75 Books Challenge group. I do not structure or plan my reading at all. My book choices are made on the fly and in the moment. One might say I like to fly by the seat of my pants. This works for me!

I live in British Columbia's Okanagan Valley with my magnificent three-year-old, jet black, feline rescue, Cairo. My thread toppers this year will feature Biblio Beauties, a series of paintings of women reading done by assorted artists.



Félix Edouard Vallotton (1865-1925), La Retour de la Mer, 1924




March
16. My Brilliant Friend, Elena Ferrante
15. The Wings of the Sphinx, Andrea Camilleri
14. All My Puny Sorrows, Miriam Toews
13. August Heat, Andrea Camilleri

February
12. Crooked Heart, Lissa Evans
11. Gilead, Marilynne Robinson
10. Road Ends, Mary Lawson
9. Remembering Laughter, Wallace Stegner
8. Birds of a Feather, Jacqueline Winspear
7. Trespass, Rose Remain
6. All the Light We Cannot See, Anthony Doerr

January
5. Crow Lake, Mary Lawson
4. Stars Go Blue, Laura Pritchett
3. Watch How We Walk, Jennifer LoveGrove
2. Maisie Dobbs, Jacqueline Winspear
1. How It All Began, Penelope Lively

Because one never knows when one might need a fainting couch, I've dragged this one over from my first thread.

8.
Birds of a Feather, Jacqueline Winspear



Rating: 4/5

2008, BBC Audiobooks, Read by Kim Hicks

Book Description: adapted from Amazon.ca
Birds of a Feather, the follow-up to Maisie Dobbs, finds psychologist and private investigator Maisie Dobbs on another dangerously intriguing adventure in London “between the wars.” It is the spring of 1930, and Maisie has been hired to find a runaway heiress. But what seems a simple case at the outset soon becomes increasingly complicated when three of the heiress’s old friends are found dead. Is there a connection between the woman’s mysterious disappearance and the murders? Who would want to kill three seemingly respectable young women? As Maisie investigates, she discovers that the answers lie in the unforgettable agony of the Great War.

My Review:
Thoroughly engaged in and enjoying the Maisie Dobbs series. I love the premise of a woman detective self-employed in the 1930s. The lessons Maisie has learned from the inimitable Dr Maurice Blanche ring true for me: that one’s job is not simply to resolve and close a case for the account-paying client, but to find a resolution in each case which will benefit all parties involved. Further, one’s job is not done until there has been a final accounting, in which the parties are revisited, and the effectiveness of the resolution critically reviewed.

Kim Hicks as narrator did not work for me. She is a fine reader, no doubt, but she reads very loudly and very quickly, and this grated. Happily, I see the remainder of the series is narrated by Orlagh Cassidy.

Looking forward to Pardonable Lies.

Happy new thread, Nancy! Good thinking to bring the fainting couch with you!

Love the thread topper painting. Look forward to the "reading ladies "and your wonderful reviews.Good idea to have a fainting couch nearby. Flying by the seat of your pants concerning book selections, sounds like the BEST of all plans.

Happy New Thread, Nancy! I love your bibliobeauty. The blue is lovely! So glad that the Jaqueline Winspear series is working out for you! Wonderful review. Author touchstones not working at the moment. C'est la vie.

>4 Crazymamie: Thanks, Mamie. Yep, we need a fainting couch!

>5 mdoris: Thanks, Mary, so glad you're enjoying the reviews. I've enjoyed searching for the biblio beauties.

>6 vancouverdeb: Thanks, Deb, a gorgeous painting isn't it? Loving the Winspear series, appreciate the recommendation. Argh, those touchstones!

Hi Nancy - Happy new thread. I love the painting at the top.

Congrats on the new thread Nancy! I just want to put it out there that I would be happy to be a model for any aspiring artists, lounging on your lovely couch with a good book...just saying. : )

Happy new thread, Nancy. xx

Happy shiny new thread!

>8 BLBera: Thanks, Beth.

>9 Berly: Thanks, Kim. A model with a book posed on a fainting couch? Well, let's put it out there!

>10 PaulCranswick: Thanks, Paul.

So, Netflix has Death Comes to Pemberly, and it's been on my list for some time. Haven't read it, so can't compare to the novel, but it is fabulous! Watched all three episodes back to back this evening. Matthew Rhys and Anna Maxwell Martin are magnificent!

>13 lit_chick: She's good in everything I've ever seen her in. Just a great actress. Favourite was the recent version of Holtby's West Riding.

Love the reading topper (although I do hope she's not sitting in a draught).

ETA See correction below!

I love Anna Maxwell Martin, too.
>14 charl08: I think you mean South Riding, correct? I agree she was very good in that production. The book is fabulous too.

>13 lit_chick: Oh, that looks good! I had no idea it was on Netflix - thanks Nancy!

That looks like such fun, the Pemberly!

Love the topper. And Happy New Thread!!

Happy Valentine's Day, Nancy!

>14 charl08: Charlotte, I've not seen South Riding, but she was excellent in Last Tango in Halifax and something else I saw fairly recently, the name of which escapes me right now.

>15 lauralkeet: Hi Laura, I'm hit with a BB on my own thread for South Riding!

>16 Cait86: You're welcome, Cait, enjoy! I hope you like it as much as I did.

>17 sibylline: The Pemberly is excellent, Lucy. Glad you like the topper; I thought she was so exotic looking.

>18 Crazymamie: Back to you, Mamie.

sending some sweets your way.....painting by Abbey Ryan

>19 lit_chick: Oh yes, you MUSt read South Riding. Winifred Holtby was an excellent author, and that one is her masterpiece. If you are able, read it before watching the dramatization, because as often happens the book is more extensive and detailed.

Happy new thread Nancy! Glad to see the fainting couch also moved over to the new thread. ;-)

Going back to your previous thread, fantastic review of All the Light We Cannot See! I still need to make time for that one.

Not sure if I am up for reading Death Comes to Pemberly, but I would be up for watching the movie adaptation!

Thanks for the correction. I forgot she fictionalised the place!

Happy new thread Nancy, just love the painting photo. Hope you have had a good weekend my dear.

>20 mdoris: Thank you, Mary.

>21 lauralkeet: Thanks, Laura! I've just requested South Riding from my library. It has both the book and the DVD, so I'm tickled pink!

>22 lkernagh: Hi Lori, plan to listen to All the Light We Cannot See, it's beautifully done. And I've also not read Death Comes to Pemberly, nor do I feel the need to. I was more than happy with the production.

>23 charl08: Thanks, John. Hugs to you too : ).

I think Death Comes to Pemberly is one where you can skip the book. It was just so so for me, certainly not up to James' usual standards. I loved the video though. It sounds like I should move South Riding up my list. Is it on Netflix, too?

>26 BLBera: Hi Beth, good to know about Death Comes to Pemberly, thanks. South Riding is not on Canadian Netflix. Happily, my library has a copy.

>25 lit_chick: hurray for your library!!

I'd agree with Beth, no need to read Death Comes to Pemberley. I loved P.D.James, but that and one other title did not interest me. The TV show would though.

Happy New Thread, Happy Valentine's Day, and Happy South Riding, Nancy!
Oh my! Those blue eyes in the tread topper!

>28 lauralkeet: Yes!

>29 vancouverdeb: Thanks, Deb. If you don't have Netflix, perhaps your library would have Death Comes to Pemberly?

>30 LizzieD: Thanks, Peggy. Another fan of South Riding! Winifred Holtby is shaping up to be another of LT's generous gifts. Isn't she exotic looking, the biblio beauty?

I did read Death comes to Pemberly and it was a bit of a slog for me. It felt like a writing exercise that didn't work too well.

>20 mdoris: I have to admire someone who could spend the amount of time that that painting looks like it would take. And the models look delicious ;)

>32 mdoris: In that case, I'm glad I watched it rather than read it, Mary.

>33 LovingLit: True, the models are scrumptious looking, Megan.

>20 mdoris: My modeling career is over. I can't compete with that! ; )

>35 Berly: LOL, Kim.

Nancy, I have a bibliobeauty to share with you . It is a book that I ordered from Amazon, mainly because the story looked interesting, but I do think the gorgeous cover influenced me a bit too! ;) If I was decent techy person, I could take a picture of it and use on my thread as a thread topper, but that sort of thing evades me, so I thought I would share it with you on your thread. Gorgeous colours too. My library is driving me to make these purchases, I tell you, Nancy! :) It will go in my TBR queue that I building , as though I expected my public library to implode with it's new crazy rules. Book just arrived today and it has a tiny tear in the cover. Sad, but fortunately my books are not collectors items. I'll bend pages, crack bindings, so what is a slight tear in the cover? A well loved book is a good book.

>37 vancouverdeb: Lovely cover, Deb, of another biblio beauty : ). I can understand how your library is driving you to spend money on books! And now that I think of it, that's also a wonderful line to use with your husband when the book bills start coming in, hehe! We differ on bending pages and cracking bindings: I am completely type A about not doing these things!

Totally missed your new thread, Nancy. But better late than never. Glad you're still enjoying the Maisie Dobbs-series - the time-period and the "psychologist and private investigator"-combination sounds interesting.

Being a Jane Austen purist (of sorts) I've been hesitant towards the Death Comes to Pemperley idea - Jane Austen and mystery - but then again there was a lot of it in Northanger Abbey (which I just re-watched last week). So maybe I should give it a try.

There's also another movie or series called Lost in Austen - but also one I've been skeptical towards.

Love the thread-stopper.

>39 ctpress: Hi Carsten, definitely better late than never! I've often missed new threads in this crazy LT group.

I think we've just traded movie-bullets. I must watch Northanger Abbey, and perhaps you will watch Death Comes to Pemberly. I've come across Lost in Austen, but I'm hesitant about that one, too. From IMDb: Amanda, an ardent Jane Austen fan, lives in present day London with her boyfriend Michael, until she finds she's swapped places with Austen's fictional creation Elizabeth Bennet. ... Pride and Prejudice and Zombies and 10 Other Adaptations That Jane Austen Never Would Have Anticipated ...

Glad you like the topper. I'm enjoying my Biblio Beauties and, of course, my fainting couch, LOL.

I need to check out Death Comes to Pemberly - I bailed on the book because it just wasn't working for me, which was a shame because I thought the premise was clever.

I'm confident you'll like Northanger Abbey - it's the 2007-version with Felicity Jones as Catherine. Not up there with the best of Austen-adaptations, but a funny gem.

No, Lost in Austen doesn't sound too promising. Next thing will be "Austen in Space" - although one modern adaptation deserves credit: "Clueless".

>41 Crazymamie: Mamie, I think you'd love the mini-series. It's three episodes. Well worth the watch, IMO.

>42 ctpress: Will look for that Northanger Abbey adaptation, Carsten. Sounds entertaining. You made me laugh with Austen in Space, LOL! I'd not even heard of Clueless, but I see that it's loosely based on Emma. Have you watched?

*just back from my library site* The cover on the left is the edition of Northanger Abbey that's available, and it's with Felicity Jones. But the cover on the right looks newer, and it's also FJ. Don't know whether these are two different productions, or just different covers, but I'm hoping the latter.



Oh, speaking of television shows and adaptations, I got hold of the Danish series, Borgen! Someone here on LT recommended it some time ago. Looking forward to this one, too.

Hi Nancy, I was completely hooked on Borgen. Hope that you enjoy it! I have loved other Danish DVD series, Ornen (the Eagle), Dicte, Unit One. All good!

>44 mdoris: Thanks, Mary! Just looked those up very briefly, and they all look like my cuppa. I loved The Bridge, which is on Netflix. *and I'm back*: Dicte is on Netflix! Yay!

Hi Nancy, Don't mention this to Deborah who is having awful library troubles, but our local library has the most stupendous collection of DVDs and are very receptive to suggestions. Accordingly I put in many requests for the international mysteries and they are almost always ordered. So maybe your library would be receptive too. You never know!

I loved Lost in Austen! There's no Jane-olatry there. I thought it was smart and funny.

>46 mdoris: My library has also been receptive to requests in the past, Mary, so I may very well try again with an international mystery. Scandic-crime comes to DVD, so to speak.

>47 LizzieD: Good to know, Peggy! I think Lost in Austen may even be on Netflix; I'm going to check.

It is the same production of Northanger Abbey - my dvd has the left cover.

Yes, I have watched Clueless. It pokes fun at the high-school-movie-genre and has a hilarious dialogue - and a lot of Emma-references. Don't expect anything remotely serious, but many great one-liners.

Started on Death Comes to Pemperley last night. Looks promising.

Nancy, I feel like I need to have my Netflix queue open when I visit your thread. LOL! Getting some great suggestions here.

>49 ctpress: Thanks, Carsten, I'm glad to know that about the Northanger Abbey production/covers. Clueless sounds like fun. I'm going to have to explore some of these Austen take-offs.

>50 Crazymamie: Hi Mamie, I was thinking yesterday that my thread sounds like a Netflix thread instead of a book thread. Sometimes good conversation just takes on a life of its own!

Sometimes good conversation just takes on a life of its own!
I love when that happens, Nancy!

I've not seen any fabulous movies of late, but I did see an interesting BBC piece on TV the other night. The homes of 1900 London were recreated as one owned by Downton Abbey Class of people, a middle class family and a poor family who took in laundry to make money , worked as scullery maid etc and it was quite fascinating. Modern day families were put in each home to live as the class that was chosen for them and it was quite interesting. I think I am quite comfortable here in 2015 as a middle class person, thanks very much.

>52 Crazymamie: Yes!

>53 vancouverdeb: Deb, that sounds like an excellent BBC piece. I have not had cable for a couple of years, but Netflix has a lot of BBC content, which I appreciate.

9.
Remembering Laughter, Wallace Stegner



Rating: 4/5

2011, Blackstone Audiobooks, Read by Cassandra Campbell

“A few hours earlier, they had all been grand people, she thought unhappily, grand people happy in each other’s company – none of them with any ill will or intention of wrong. Now, they had succeeded in so tangling the threads of their lives, that only misery could come of it.” (Ch 3)

Proud and proper Margaret Stuart is married to Alec, a wealthy and genial Iowa farmer. Happy in her marriage, and believing her contentment to be mutual, Margaret does her best to look the other way when Alec takes to the bottle with greater frequency. Shortly, her younger sister, Elspeth, comes from Scotland to live with them. Full of laughter and vitality, she is immediately taken with the farm and with the warm affection extended by Margaret, Alec, and their neighbours. But as summer turns to fall, and the friendship between Alec and Elspeth deepens, cruelty is on the horizon. And the world they all love is about to be replaced with a stony, stagnant silence, a calculated tact, and a pretense of unity. But never forgiveness – never that.

Remembering Laughter (1937) was Wallace Stegner's literary debut. I’ve read and loved Angle of Repose and Big Rock Candy Mountain, and my experience here was no different. Stegner has a way of writing characters that makes me want the best for them, even when their behaviour is cruel or foolish, or otherwise intolerable – I felt this way about Bo in
Big Rock Candy Mountain, and Alec plays that role here. Written in the beautiful prose I’ve come to expect from Stegner, Remembering Laughter is novella length, about a three-hour listen. Narrator Cassandra Campbell is exceptional! Highly recommended!

HI Nancy, Just thumbed your wonderful review of Remembering Laughter. I must read more Stegner! I loved Spectator Bird.

Great review, Nancy. Thumb - and another author to jot down for later. Read a review of one of his novels that stated, that it would appeal to fans of Marilynne Robinson. So I must get to him....

Great review Nancy! I've finished the late night news. If Remembering Laughter , novella length, maybe I will give the author a try.

I hadn't heard of that Stegner, Nancy. Like you, I'm a fan. I've made a mental note to read him again soon.

Great review of Remembering Laughter, Nancy! Seems like our experiences of the book is similar and we both like it for the same reason.

>56 mdoris: Thanks, Mary. I've not yet read Spectator Bird, but onto the WL it goes! Love Stegner!

>57 ctpress: Thanks, Carsten. Interesting that you mention Marilynne Robinson, because Gilead is my next audiobook. I remember how much you enjoyed that trilogy, and am looking forward to it.

>58 vancouverdeb: Thanks, Deb. I just adore Stegner; he is one of the best gifts I've received from LT.

>59 lauralkeet: Laura, I was also not familiar with Remembering Laughter. Read a review one Anne's (AMQS) thread recently, and couldn't resist putting it at the front of my pile. Thanks, Anne, if you're reading : ).

>60 DianaNL: Yay for weekends.

>61 lkernagh: We cross-posted, Lori! Glad you also enjoyed Remembering Laughter. I like this: our experiences of the book is similar and we both like it for the same reason

>62 lit_chick: I am excited for you to be reading/listening to Gilead. It is one of my all time favourite books. I have loved all of her fiction. I will be interested to hear what you think!

>62 lit_chick: oooh, Gilead. Such a wonderful book.

>64 mdoris: Thanks, Mary, Gilead has had lots of LT love! Robinson, too, in fact.

>65 lauralkeet: Hi Laura, more Gilead love! I only started listening last night, but I'm taken! Home and Lila have also had wonderful reviews, and I've got these in the wings, too.

I have only read Gilead and Lila so I have Home waiting for me. Sounds promising that you are already "taken" :)

Nice comments on the Stegner. I still haven't read him. This year.

>67 ctpress: Hi Carsten, I remember how much you enjoyed Gilead and Lila, so you're part of my inspiration in acquiring these. I find when I'm taken right away with a book, it usually sticks.

>68 BLBera: Thanks, Beth. Looking forward to your experience of Stegner. I hope you will enjoy him as much as I do.

Well. Nancy, I happened to be in a used bookshop today and what did I see but Crow Lake? I was so excited, I swooped right in and grabbed it. Woo hoo!

Hi Nancy, There's Housekeeping too which I thought was amazing (read it last year) and still vividly remember it. Then you can watch the DVD (1987) with Christine Lahti who is very good.

Gilead is waiting in my TBR pile, so I'll be keen to see what you think of the book! Sounds like you are enjoying it already!

>70 lauralkeet: Woo hoo is right, Laura! I'm delighted you found it, and that you swooped right in for the acquisition! Looking forward to your reading/review.

>71 mdoris: And onto the WL it goes, Mary! I keep being hit by BB on my own thread, LOL!

>72 vancouverdeb: Hi Deb, yes, enjoying it very much! Tim Jerome, narrator, is just exquisite!

10.
Road Ends, Mary Lawson



Rating: 4.5/5

“He listened as their voices faded into the rumble of the falls. He was thinking about the lynx. The way it had looked at him, acknowledging his existence, then passing out of his life like smoke … It was the first thing—the only thing—that had managed, if only for a moment, to displace from his mind the image of the child. He had carried that image with him for a year now, and it had been a weight so great that sometimes he could hardly stand.” (3)

The fictional, northern Ontario town of Struan, buried in winter snows and numbing cold is the backdrop for a family unravelling. Edward Cartwright, Struan’s bank manager, struggles to escape a violent past; Emily, his wife, lies cloistered in her room with yet another newborn; Tom, their eldest son, is lost in the death of a friend and unable to see his way clear of the tragedy; and capable, dependable Megan, the sole daughter in a family of eight sons, who has held the family together for years, has finally broken free and moved to England.

As with Crow Lake, Lawson has created in Road Ends another enthralling, tender tale of a family in northern Ontario. And again, I found myself turning pages into the night. Narrated in alternating chapters by Edward, Emily, Tom, and Megan, she gently reveals the complexity and anguish of family life, the struggle to balance responsibility and desire, and the way we can face tragedy, and, in time, hope to start again. Very highly recommended.

Just thumbed your review of Road Ends. I re-read my review of the same book and mine unfortunately was kind of a crabby one as I was upset with most of the characters. Hope that you've had a good weekend.

>75 mdoris: Thanks, Mary! I did often feel like shaking both Edward and Emily, and had to keep reminding myself that dysfunctional families are not created of normalcy. Now I'm curious, and off to read your review : ).

Excellent review of Crow Lake. I really enjoyed that one too. I've yet to get to The Other Side of the Bridge which I am quite sure you have read. Thumbed.

>76 lit_chick: Glad I the only person who wants to shake the characters in a book - just reading A Messenger of Truth and want to give Maisie a good talking too about the way she is treating Andrew Dene.

Shocked to read on Lori's thread that there are group of you who have not read Agatha Christie! Gasps! What did waste your teen years away on? Riding horses? *shakes head*.

>77 vancouverdeb: I know, hanging head in shame.

>77 vancouverdeb: Thanks, Deb. I have read The Other Side of the Bridge, which is also excellent. Lawson is a gem! Forgot to mention in my review that Bo and Luke Morrison from Crow Lake play a role in Road Ends, which delighted me!

What did waste your teen years away on? Riding horses? *shakes head*. Oh, you made me laugh out loud! Yes, just so, riding horses!

>78 mdoris: You've been caught out, too, Mary, having not yet read Christie?

I found myself turning pages into the night. I hope you'll get your sleep, Nancy, with all those page-turners :) Another Canadian author to have an eye on.

BTW, I finished Death Comes to Pemperley last week. It was great - quite in the spirit of Jane Austen - and I liked the idea of Wickam still being a nuisance to everyone.

#77 - I played a lot of soccer in my teens so I guess I'm excused. I was more into Larry Kent back then - a far more superior detective than Poirot.....hrhrmmm.

>74 lit_chick: - Oooohhhh I have a copy of that Lawson book. Must remember to move it up the reading list. Just need to find the time between all of my other reading commitments.

>77 vancouverdeb: - Well, I was always more of an Arthur Conan Doyle and Margery Ellingham reader. I had a subscription to Ellery Queen magazine and don't remember reading any Christies there. Sorry Deb!

>80 ctpress: Hi Carsten, Lawson is definitely a Canadian author for you to keep an eye on. I think you would really enjoy her work. So glad you enjoyed Death Comes to Pemberley. I also thought it was quite in the spirit of Jane Austen.

Oh oh, don't tell me you also have not read Agatha Christie. Deb will need the fainting couch, LOL.

>81 lkernagh: Lori, you need to make time for Lawson! And you already have a copy of Road Ends ...

Poor Deb! She'll be unconscious by now!

I do need the fainting couch indeed! * wasted your youth, the lot of you! * tsk tsk! :) How about P.D. James or Len Deighton?

>80 ctpress: Hey, I skied , belonged to swim team and worked part time in bookstore in my teens. Bookstore - 25 % percent discount! :) Oh I spent a lot of my time reading in the aisles. Don't tell anyone! No excuses for you Carsten! Tsk, tsk! I did prefer Miss Marple to Hercule Poirot I must admit.

>81 lkernagh: Hmm - never hear of Margery Elleningham. As for magazines, I was busy reading my mom's RedBook, Good Houskeeping and Chatelaine and reading Mad Magazine, and you can still tell I that I was a crazy Mad Magazine fan.

>79 lit_chick: Horses! The plight of so many teen girls. sighs to self. ;)

Deb, a somewhat tribute to your well-rounded teen years, LOL!

Heheheee! You made me cackle out loud! Yes, very well rounded. Never too soon to read about " How to Save Your Marriage " a monthly feature in either Redbook or was it Lady's Home Journal? My mom loved her magazines and hey, never to soon to learn. And Mad Magazine. Sarcasm and satire at it's best. Very highbrow of me! :)

Hi Nancy, I just finished Ami McCay's The Birth House and I absolutely loved it. Another great Canadian author I will have to explore so thanks for recommending it oh so long ago. I'm in Florida soaking up some sun:-)

ETA: looks like I will have to find Road Ends another great book by Mary Lawson. Thanks again!

>85 vancouverdeb: Very highbrow indeed, Deb : )>

>86 brenzi: Hi Bonnie, lovely to "see" you! Delighted to hear that you loved The Birth House and that you're in Florida soaking up some sun. I think you will love Road Ends, too.

Ah, MAD Magazine - one of my favorites back then. It came all the way to Denmark :)

>88 ctpress: Well, Carsten, Deb would say your teen years weren't entirely wasted then, LOL! I don't even want to tell her that I've never read MAD magazine. Pull out the fainting couch ...

Nancy, I am coming over here to personally thank you - I watched and LOVED Death Comes to Pemberly yesterday.

>89 lit_chick: Crumbs, that fainting couch must have a queue out the door...

>90 Crazymamie: Hi Mamie, so glad you watch and LOVED! It's one I will watch again at another time.

>91 charl08: Exactly, Charlotte! A fainting couch is more useful than I'd ever have imagined.

>88 ctpress:
>89 lit_chick: Get a very large fainting couch indeed, Nancy! You did not read MAD magazine? Or Cracked, in desperation?

Carsten, you have some credibility with me, but Nancy must have tossed away her youth. Perhaps Nancy grew up as part of family of light house keeper parents and had no access to Mad Magazine and Agatha Christie. This is the only explanation I can fathom. And yet , despite the deprivation you suffered Nancy, you do have a Keen sense of humour and also can read!!! ;0 Wonders never cease!

>93 vancouverdeb: Oh, Deb, I'm laughing myself silly! Speaking of a sense of humour, LOL! You are absolutely too much: Carsten, you have some credibility with me, but Nancy must have tossed away her youth

Do they make fainting couches for more than one person? Maybe you will need a whole room full!

>93 vancouverdeb: lol
I read MAD Magazine from time to time in my youth. And by read, I mean that I folded over the back page to make the different cartoon image. I was shocked the other day to see the library copies of MAD didnt have the backs folded! I mean, who could resist that? And it does say I nthe instructions that you should...I would never normally bend magazine covers...perhaps the youth of today are a far more well-behaved lot

>95 Familyhistorian: Too true, Meg, hehe!

>96 LovingLit: LOL, Megan! And by read, I mean that I folded over the back page to make the different cartoon image.

>97 DianaNL: Thank you, Diana.

11.
Gilead, Marilynne Robinson



Rating: 3/5

Gilead has received much love on LT, including from many readers with whom I am generally in step. But I just could not get interested in this one. For one, I didn't like the format: no chapters, no breaks, but rather a long, rambling, autobiographical letter. Certainly Robinson is a fine writer, and perhaps even one I will revisit. Alas, Gilead was not meant to be, not for me, not at this time.

Oh, you are not alone! I was so bored with that book for exactly the reasons you said - long, boring, rambling. I'm glad to find someone else.

>96 LovingLit: Yes! The cool folded over back page!!! That was the first that I did, before conferring with my sisters and friends about what were going to see when folded over backcover. I'm not sure if my library carries MAD Magazine , and if it did in days or yore, I never accessed it that way. I loved the movie satires,' The Lighter Side ' - oh the memories!

>99 lit_chick: I confess Nancy, that I have tried to pick up Gilead without success. I am waiting for the right time to read it. I'm sorry that you did not enjoy, but kudo's to you for reading a very well known book.

>100 raidergirl3: I'm glad to find someone else, too, Elizabeth!

>102 vancouverdeb: Deb, sounds like you've had a similar experience with Gilead. I think sometimes heightened expectations get in my way. Or perhaps it wasn't the right time. But I think in this case, Gilead is just not my thing.

I'm sorry Gilead didn't work for you, Nancy. Better luck with your next book,

Hi Nancy, Have a wonderful weekend! What is your next read? I am reading the new Elizabeth Hay book His Whole Life about the referedum in Quebec. It's a bit of a slow read for me! Ya can't win 'em all right?

>104 lauralkeet: Thanks, Laura. Going to revert to a standby series from last winter and listen to the next Inspector Montalbano, August Heat.

>105 mdoris: Thanks, Mary. I read and loved Hay's Late Nights on Air several years ago, but I've not read anything of hers since. Next audiobook is Camilerri's August Heat.

Sorry that Gilead wasn't for you, Nancy. As you know I loved it - thought it was filled with wisdom and compassion - well, at least you have the background if you decide to read Lila - the other point of view.

There is a new certainty Nancy to add to death and taxes - namely that Montalba will provide hours of entertainment.

Enjoy!

>107 ctpress: Hi Carsten, I know that you loved Gilead, and wanted so much to have the same experience. I have the audiobooks of both Home and Lila, which I will get to at some point. I remember your review of Lila last year, a 5* read for you, I think.

>108 PaulCranswick: Paul, only you could come up with death, taxes, and Montalbano. I like it!

>107 ctpress: Carsten, I am a very big fan too of Robinson and you put it so well filled with wisdom and compassion . I was transported and suggested Gilead and Home for bookclub and it sort of bombed. Others,( for sure!!!) not so tranported as me!

Nancy hope the Montalbano is a good read for you!

>110 mdoris: Hi Mary, Montalbano is always a good fall-back: simple, entertaining, escape.

Nancy--Let's see...The Stegner one looks good--I have enjoyed him in the past. I miss the zaniness of MAD magazine. Gilead didn't work for me either and I feel vindicated!! ; )

And I think you might need a second fainting couch, so to help you start shopping...



Or if you want to brush up on the history...

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2013/10/20/magazine/key-short-history-faintin...

And have a great day!

>112 Berly: Hi Kim, I've not read anything by Stegner yet which I did not love. As for Gilead, I'm beginning to wonder whether it is one of those works that readers either loved or didn't care for at all.

Oh, and a history of fainting couches, and a catalogue for acquiring another! How can I thank you enough? hehe

12.
Crooked Heart, Lissa Evans



Rating: 4/5

Paper moon meets Blitz in this original black comedy set in World War II England, chronicling an unlikely alliance between a small time con artist and a young orphan evacuee. (front cover)

Ten-year-old Noel Bostock lives in London with his godmother, Mattie, a former suffragette. The relationship, like the characters in it, are eccentric, to say the very least. Noel has been brought up to share Mattie’s disdian of authority and her eclectic approach to education, and is wise beyond his years. When he is evacuated from London to escape the Nazi bombardment, he’s taken in by Vera Sedge, a widow in her mid-thirties, drowning in debt, and always desperate for money – and always unscrupulous as to how she gets it. Vee’s problem is that she’s disorganized, flitting from one self-induced crisis to the next: a stranger to lists, a martyr to panic and whim. (90) Noel is just her opposite: cool headed and analytical. And together they cook up a scheme which sees them crisscrossing London’s bombed suburbs, “collecting” for a variety of worthy causes. Much to Vee’s delight, they begin to turn a profit; and Noel finds himself taking a renewed interest in life. But if the youngster was evacuated in order to be safe -- well, he’s anything but.

Crooked Heart is an idiosyncratic look at the London Blitz and war profiteering – an engaging black comedy. It took some time before I warmed to the characters – odd little Noel and sly, uncomfortable Vee – but I loved the relationship they created where there had been absolutely nothing in common. Thoroughly enjoyed and will look for more of Evans’s work. Highly recommended.

Great review of Crooked Heart, Nancy! I'm so pleased that you enjoyed it! I felt it was a real charmer and a very different tale from usual, rather like you did. but I loved the relationship they created where there had been absolutely nothing in common So true! And it was longlisted for the Orange Prize last year. Thumbed.

>114 lit_chick: Another fan of Lissa Evans here. I've read that the film version of Their finest hour and a half is due out at some point...

>114 lit_chick: Very good review Nancy!
Hope that you're having a sunnier afternoon than we are having here!

>115 vancouverdeb: Thanks, Deb, Crooked Heart is definitely a real charmer and a very different tale from usual. Must update my tag to reflect Orange Prize LL.

>116 charl08: Hi Charlotte, good to know about Their Finest Hour and a Half; this is the first Evans I've read.

>117 mdoris: Thanks, Mary. Nope, Okanagan is having a rainy afternoon, too.

Hi, Nancy. I'm racing through, so I'm sure I've missed a lot. You may put me down as another lover of Gilead, and I'm sorry it didn't work for you. I've never gotten on the other though. Definitely must live to 110 with all faculties intact!

>119 LizzieD: Hi Peggy, glad you also loved Gilead. I was reading on Lucy's thread that she is visiting you tomorrow. How exciting! Can't wait to hear about your time together.

A stranger to lists, a martyr to panic and whim. Sounds fun with the "opposites attracts" premise. Great review, Nancy.

To change the subject :) Great win for "Spotlight" - of course there was an added interest for me, but long time since I've seen such a well-crafted movie about investigative reporting. Thomas McCarthy deserves it - a short but strong c.v. as a director (Station Agent, The Visitor, Win Win) all good movies.

>121 ctpress: Thanks Carsten, definitely the opposites attract at play in Crooked Heart. And both such oddball characters that I grew quite fond of them : ).

Yes, a great win for Spotlight indeed! I watched it a couple of weeks ago and thoroughly enjoyed. Sadly, it seems investigative reporting has gone by the wayside to a large extent in our contemporary world. Part of my motive for cheering the film on, besides its excellence, was our Canadian girl, Rachel McAdams.

Nancy - I'm so happy there's another Evans fan here. Crooked Heart was one of my favorite reads last year! Their Finest Hour and a Half is also very good, but I did prefer Crooked Heart.

>123 BLBera: Hi Beth, definitely another Evans fan here. Hmm, maybe I will watch Their Finest Hour and a Half instead of reading it.

Oh Nancy, I can see why you loved Humphreys' Coventry.

Oops boo boo, I think it was The Lost Garden that you loved!

>125 mdoris: Actually, I thought both were excellent, Mary. But my favourite of the two is The Lost Garden.

Just about to crack open Coventry. Full of anticipation. I also loved The Lost Garden. All the quotes Mark posted made me want to read it again...

>127 charl08: Hi Charlotte, hope you will enjoy Coventry; it's a great read! Haven't seen the quotes Mark posted from The Lost Garden, must go look.

I received a Fiver badge from LT this morning, given to members who have been on the site for 5 years. How is this possible? And what did I do over morning coffee before that?

I received my "fiver badge" a couple of months ago - or maybe longer. Glad you are here! :) Congratulations Nancy! Exactly - the void during morning coffee prior to LT.

>114 lit_chick: BB! I have a hard time resisting anything described as a black comedy, and then to be set in England, and during WWII...this fulfills so many of my wishes for a good book!

>129 lit_chick: & >130 vancouverdeb: Congrats to both of you! I got my fiver back in December so I guess we've all been on about the same amount of time!

>130 vancouverdeb: I'm glad we're both here too, Deb!

>131 rretzler: Hey, we're triplets, LOL! Always happy to help out with a BB, Robin. If you like black comedy, I think you will enjoy Crooked Heart.

>128 lit_chick: It was a great read. Hope she's writing another one soon.

Just letting you know that I'm here --- I am. Hi, Nancy!

>133 charl08: So glad you enjoyed, Charlotte.

>134 LizzieD: Hi Peggy! I'm very glad you're here : ).

Two book bullets landed while catching up here, Nancy. I love Wallace Stegner and hope to be a completist...someday. Remembering Laughter will go on my TBA -- To Be Acquired list which sorely needs updating. Also must read Road Ends as I loved Crow Lake.

>99 lit_chick: *Sad Face* ...although I do agree iGilead is a sloow book. The better to savor each word. Haha!

HI Nancy, Have a great weekend!

>137 Donna828: Hi Donna, always happy to help with BB! I hope one day to be a completist, too, where Wallace Stegner is concerned. Actually, I think it was one of your reviews, possibly for Big Rock Candy Mountain, which got me pointed towards Stegner. Love his work! Quite certain you'll enjoy Road Ends if you loved Crow Lake.

Good for Gilead to have some more love; I know it's been very well-received. I wanted to share that experience, but not to be.

>138 mdoris: Thanks, Mary. You, too.

13.
August Heat, Andrea Camilleri



Rating: 4/5

2010, Blackstone Audiobooks, Read by Grover Gardner

Book Description: adapted from Amazon.ca
When a colleague extends his summer vacation, Inspector Salvo Montalbano is forced to stay in Vigàta and endure the August heat. Montalbano's long-suffering girlfriend, Livia, joins him with a friend – husband and young son in tow – to keep her company during these dog days of summer. But when the boy suddenly disappears into a narrow shaft hidden under the family's beach rental, Montalbano, in pursuit of the child, uncovers something terribly sinister. The Sicilian inspector spends the rest of the summer trying to solve the case – undertaking what will prove to be one of the most shocking investigations of his career.

My Review:
Camilleri writes with such sense of place here that it is possible to smell the sea, feel the oppressive Vigàta heat, and savour the exquisite cuisine. It occurs to me, not for the first time, that I’ve got no idea what the Inspector and Livia are really doing together – and it occurs to me that well into middle-age, Montalbano seems often to be surrounded by beautiful women. In this case, a twenty-one-year old identical twin takes him to task. And what theater!

I continue to enjoy Camilleri’s series and look forward to the next. Wonderful escape reads, solid story lines, and a Mediterranean setting. What’s not to like?

eta: have been thinking about this story for a couple of days and decided it deserves to be upgraded from 3.5 to 4*

Ah, those Italians, Nancy. When it comes to love it doesn't have to make sense :) sounds like it's August Heat on several levels. Fun review, LOL.

>140 lit_chick:, "what's not to like" Indeed! Good review.

>141 ctpress: Make me laugh, Carsten! Those Italians, indeed! I think you nee to read Montalbano. You've got just the right frame of mind, hehe.

>142 mdoris: Thanks, Mary.

Sounds very enjoyable, Nancy! Who wouldn't like a little Mediterranean heat about now? Maybe temps at around 21 C as I really don't care for the heat, even in blustery March. Great review of August Heat.

Okay , Nancy, I'm reduced to begging you to visit my new thread! :D) 44 or so posts in and I've not seen you, friend! :)

>144 vancouverdeb: Yes, I think the Mediterranean needs to be on my bucket list, Deb!

>145 vancouverdeb: Oh no! Honestly, I think I am losing track of my marbles. I thought your thread had been quiet, and when I checked my "talk" list, I saw that you had posted yesterday and that there were no new posts. So I thought, Oh, Deb's just busy. Argh! I'm on my way, my friend!

LOL! Losing your marbles are you? I lost mine long ago! :) I do hope that The Widow pans out. So far I am very enthused . Wait until I'm finished - or not, depending on how patient you are . Did you say you are crazy to read Dame Agatha, I can mail you the book! I sense your keenness, friend. ;-)

>147 vancouverdeb: You too, Deb, on the marble front! The Widow sounds very intriguing. Dame Agatha, on the other hand, well ... (my wasted youth and all that, LOL!)

Marbles long gone....Hi!

Happy Sunday, Nancy! I skipped your Camilleri review because you are WAY ahead of me in that series.

>149 Berly: >150 Crazymamie: Hi Kim and Mamie, sounds like I am in excellent company, LOL! Who needs marbles anyway?

>140 lit_chick: Love Inspector Montalbano! I am at the same place in regards to Salvo and Livia - what's the point already? Give it up! lol. They make each other miserable continually. I notice you gave it 3.5 stars. It's a series where the individual books are good, but the series as a whole is better. I rate all those books around a 4, but I love the series - it would get a 4.5 or 5.

I am well into The Lost Garden and am just loving it.

Hi Nancy, I searched around the house to find some marbles so I could take a picture of those for you and even those I've lost!!! The sun is peeking through. Major YES!!!

>152 raidergirl3: Hi Elizabeth, good to know we're on the same page with Montalbano and Livia. Like you, I think the series is stronger as a whole. I tend to rate the individual audiobooks 3.5 or 4, but I'd rate the series 4.5.

Delighted you are loving The Lost Garden.

>153 mdoris: Hooray for sunshine, Mary! Those of us who have lost our marbles are in excellent company!

14.
All My Puny Sorrows, Miriam Toews



Rating: 3.5/5

"When I listened to her play I felt I should not be there in the same room with her. There were hundreds of people but nobody left. It was a private pain. By private I mean to say unknowable. Only the music knew and it held secrets so that her playing was a puzzle, a whisper, and people afterwards stood in the bar and drank and said nothing because they were complicit. There were no words.” (Ch 4)

Elf and Yoli Von Reisen are smart, loving sisters, and polar opposites. Elf is a world-renowned pianist, glamourous, wealthy, adored, happily married: she wants only to die. Yoli is a mess, divorced, broke, looking for love in the wrong places – and desperately trying to keep her sister alive. The novel opens in the white-hot pitch of a medical emergency room right after Elf has attempted suicide, not for the first time. Yoli, by turns wickedly funny and heartbreakingly real is, of course, by her sister’s side. If it’s what Elf wants, she’ll do what she can to nurse her back to health in time for her world tour, several weeks out. But Elf’s request will shock her: the assistance she requests of Yoli has nothing to do with her upcoming tour. And so the younger sister is faced with a terrifying decision.

Toews is a talented writer, no question. I was taken with both storyline and subject matter immediately, and settled in for what I expected to be a 4.5 or 5* read. But here’s my trouble: the entire novel, but for the final 50 or so pages, is written at such a fevered pitch that it became too much. When at last Elf has succeeded, and Yoli and their mother have settled down to the business of getting on with life, I could breathe again and enjoy – but by then, the story was over. Sadly, this is not one I will highly recommend, but others have thoroughly enjoyed it.

“I tried to apologize, to ease the tension. I didn’t know what to say. I quoted Goethe … “suicide is an event of human nature which, whatever may be said and done with respect to it, demands the sympathy of every man, and in every epoch must be discussed anew” … (Ch 18)
_____________

Hilarious Quote:
(I'm still chuckling about this, even after I’ve closed the novel)
The setting of here is the same small Manitoba Mennonite community of which Toews wrote in A Complicated Kindenss. The church elders, attempting to control every aspect of its citizens’ lives, occasionally provide comic relief, as when a troubling rumour gets out that Elf might want to attend university, leading to a “raid” on the family home by the bishop:

“He showed up on a Saturday in a convoy with his usual posse of elders, each in his own black, hard-topped car (they never carpool because it's not as effective in creating terror when thirteen or fourteen similarly dressed men tumble out of one car) and my father and I watched from the window as they parked in front of our house and got out of their cars and walked slowly towards us, one behind the other, like a tired conga line.” (Ch 1)

>155 lit_chick: I liked All My Puny Sorrows a bit more that you did, but very nice review. And can I have a few of those marbles? Just a few? Please!!

>140 lit_chick: I've read/listened to those all out of order. I haven't made it to that one.

>156 Berly: Glad you enjoyed All My Puny Sorrows, Kim. Good read! Well, OK, take a few marbles, but only a few, LOL.

>157 thornton37814: Hi Lori, sounds like you're enjoying the Sicilian inspector, too : ).

I have to confess that I've never been taken by Miriam Toews books, though I know they are very popular and win awards. Excellent review and it confirms my belief that I would not enjoy it. Thanks for taking a punch for me! ;) I've started a couple of her books and put them aside. Not my cuppa, so far. Excellent review and thumbed.

>159 vancouverdeb: Thanks, Deb, I think you're right that Miriam Toews is not for everyone. No question she is talented, and a very popular Canadian writer, but doesn't always strike the right chord with me.

He, he - funny quote on the elders raid on the family, Nancy. Don't underestimate the intimidation of fourteen serious men stepping out of their cars. Well, a pity it wasn't overall a satisfying read.

I don't know how I got a couple of weeks behind, but I did. Lots of reading here. I'm not famiiiar with Toews or Lawson but both look definitely worth investigating.

Having adored Housekeeping I thought I would keep on adoring too, but I haven't. Appreciate? Yes.

>161 ctpress: Hi Carsten, glad you enjoyed the quote about the "raid," LOL! You're right about the intimidation.

>162 sibylline: Hi Lucy, easy to get a couple of weeks behind around here. Lawson has become an absolute favourite, Toews not so much, but she is definitely worth investigating.

Housekeeping is on my WL, maybe it's the Robinson I should read next. Love what you say about adoration/appreciation. Exactly!

Longlist:

A God in Ruins, Kate Atkinson
Rush Oh!, Shirley Barrett
Ruby, Cynthia Bond
The Secret Chord, Geraldine Brooks
The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet, Becky Chambers
A Dictionary of Mutual Understanding, Jackie Copleton
Whispers Through a Megaphone, Rachel Elliott
The Green Road, Anne Enright
The Book of Memory, Petina Gappah
Gorsky, Vesna Goldsworthy
The Anatomist’s Dream, Clio Gray *no touchstone
At Hawthorn Time, Melissa Harrison
Pleasantville, Attica Locke
The Glorious Heresies, Lisa McInerney
The Portable Veblen, Elizabeth McKenzie
Girl at War, Sara Nović
The House at the Edge of the World, Julia Rochester
The Improbability of Love, Hannah Rothschild
My Name is Lucy Barton, Elizabeth Strout
A Little Life, Hanya Yanagihara

Oh good , you have posted the "Orange Long List" . Sorry I did not get back to you sooner - away from my computer. Well, what are your thoughts? I have God in Ruins on hand, I am waiting for My Name is Lucy Barton from the library. I'm afraid that unlike you, I cast aside The Green Road after about ? 100 pages. I know you loved it and gave it 5 stars . Sorry about that. I'm pretty sure I won't read A Little Life , but you never know. I am not a fan of Geraldine Brooks so I can count that one out. Charlotte and Mark have good things to say about The Portable Veblen . I don't a lot about most of the books. I think off hand I might be interested in Hawthorn Time, aka Clay. I think that one was praised by Penelope Lively and Emily Healy, both of whom have read books that I very much enjoyed. It's a long list and most of the books I am not familiar with.

What thoughts have you got?

In all honesty, Deb, I'm not familiar with any of the works on the list outside of A God in Ruins (not really calling to me), My Name is Lucy Barton (on my list, and I'm looking forward to it but don't know when), and The Green Road (already experienced). What I probably should do is take some time browsing book sites and reviews to get a sense of what I might like to read. And I'll keep an eye out here on LT, of course, for what reviews, and for what I think I might like.

Hi Nancy - I loved All My Puny Sorrows and remember the visit you quoted. At least there was something to smile about.

The only one I've read from the longlist is the Atkinson, but I have reserved some of the others from the library, so I hope to get to some of them. Quite a few are first-time novelists, and I had good luck with those last year.

HI Nancy, I guess you are really looking forward to some time off work during spring break. Have you got your books all lined up? Wishing you a restful and wonderful time full of adventure and fun. How's that!

>167 BLBera: Hi Beth, delighted you loved All My Puny Sorrows. Have you read A Complicated Kindness?

A God in Ruins has been very popular here on LT, but for some reason it is not calling to me, at least not at the moment. I did love Enright's The Green Road.

>168 mdoris: You've got that right, Mary! Phew! And thanks so much. I'm just about 100 pages in South Riding which is really a beautiful read. Just need some time.

I haven't read A Complicated Kindness, but it is on the list. I did read The Flying Troutmans, which I also loved.

I'm still browsing through the Baileys. I did enjoy the first book that Pleasantville follows, and I have the new one on my Kindle...... Also the Atkinson. Since I can get both Gorsky and Ruby cheap right now at AMP, I guess I'll do that. I'm not sure when I think I'll read them, but I don't know when that ever made a difference in my book buying!

Happy Spring Break, Nancy! Got myself a new Iphone 6 and very nearly have it set up all by myself! :) Not fully but doing pretty well all by myself as my boy genius helper is off to Hong Kong and Japan today - as in Saturday. He and his wife will be off til the end of March, so I decided I dare try all by myself. Wish me luck! The basics are done.

>171 BLBera: Hi Beth, I've got a copy of The Flying Troutmans, but haven't read yet. We are trading bullets here : ).

>172 LizzieD: Oh, Peggy, you've got a much better grasp on the Women's List than I do. Made me laugh out loud: I'm not sure when I think I'll read them, but I don't know when that ever made a difference in my book buying!

>173 vancouverdeb: I've got another week to work before spring break, Deb, but thanks for the wishes. Yay to a new iPhone 6. I've still got my iPhone 4 which works perfectly, but Apple is no longer supporting, so some of my apps don't work. Irks me to no end that Apple can decide not to support its own expensive products, causing customers to need to buy new gadgets when they don't need them.

It's only fair, Nancy.

Oh that gets me too, Nancy, the Apple thing. I had an Apple 4 phone, but at the library they told me that my phone would not be able to use the library audible book app, and then I got a text from TELUS saying that since I am a " loyal customer" the I phone 6 would be free of charge. So I signed up for another 2 years on my plan and got a new phone. I know my son William is so irked by Apple he refuses to purchase any Apple products and really has a bit of a hate thing for Apple. I could be wrong, but I think spring break already started here, but maybe the kids just had yesterday off school for some Pro- D day? I'm out of touch with my "old man" sons :)

I answered your question on my page re - how do I find new books . Yes , in large part I am an avid book review reader , The Vancouver Sun and also The Globe and Mail. I also get emails from amazon ca and Indigo and all of those things combined help me find new books. I'm always on the hunt for something new and interesting! :) I very big on reading reviews, even if I have to search for them on line.

Hi Nancy, stopping b to wish you a lovely weekend. Sorry to see Gilead didn't work for you - or hit all the right chords - as it did with me. I do believe that is one of those "right time, right place" kind of reads. I read it back in April of 2011 and I was probably on vacation visiting family at the time, which is when I like to slide into slow, reflective stories.

Glad to see the Montalbano books continue to be enjoyable. I need to get back to the series but I am kind of busy with the author challenges and reading books off my TBR shelves at the moment.

>155 lit_chick: - I have read a number of Toews books, but not All My Puny Sorrows. I absolutely loved The Flying Troutmans and A Complicated Kindness but found Irma Voth feel flat with me as being too much of a New Mexico set version of A Complicated Kindness. I do want to read A Boy of Good Breeding so that will probably be my next Toews read, leaving All My Puny Sorrows for some later time.

>174 lit_chick: - Irks me to no end that Apple can decide not to support its own expensive products, causing customers to need to buy new gadgets when they don't need them.

Yup. that is what Apple went and did with my iPod Touch. Because so many apps no longer work (because Apple will not release an updated os for the device) it is a glorified music player. sighs

>175 BLBera: Indeed, Beth, LOL!

>176 vancouverdeb: Eventually, I'll go for a new iPhone, Deb, but for now I'll have to be content with iPhone 4. I love Apple products, but the decision to no longer support expensive hardware that's only a few years old really irks.

I like your system for finding new books. I mostly stick to LT and really need to reach out a bit more: the Globe and Mail would be a good start.

>177 lkernagh: Hi Lori, I think a lot of books are right time, right place, and yes, Gilead is probably a really god example. Montalbano was a recommendation from you, and a happy one for me : ). Delighted you enjoy Miriam Toews so much, probably more than I do. But certainly I appreciate her work, and will read of it at some point. I have The Flying Troutmans in epub, so it'll likely be next.

Grr, argh, bah! Apple's refusal to issue updated OS for your iPod and my iPhone is just not right!

>178 lit_chick: I think Montalba is one of the safest bookie plugs going in the group Nancy! I will embark upon at least one book by Miriam Toews this year with less certainty about the outcome, but isn't that a little part of the joy of opening up a new book by a new author?

Have a lovely Sunday.

>178 lit_chick: That's exactly the charm of picking up a new book by a new author, Paul! Agree that Montalbano is one of the safest bookie plugs going.

15.


Rating: 4/5

2009, Blackstone Audiobooks, Read by Grover Gardner

Book Description: Amazon.ca
Things are not going well for Inspector Salvo Montalbano. His relationship with Livia is once again on the rocks and – acutely aware of his age – he is beginning to grow weary of the endless violence he encounters. Then a young woman is found dead, her face half shot off and only a tattoo of a sphinx moth giving any hint of her identity. The tattoo links her to three similarly marked girls-all victims of the underworld sex trade-who have been rescued from the Mafia night-club circuit by a prominent Catholic charity. The problem is, Montalbano's inquiries elicit an outcry from the Church and the three other girls are all missing.

My Review:
More food, love, and murder Sicilian style! As well as a solid story line, I enjoyed the inspector’s occasional internal dialogue (or is it really monologue?) between Montalbano1 and Montalbano2 – I can relate! I can further relate to this wonderful rant by the inspector on government’s complete incompetence. Catarelli, of course, continues to charm, “poysonally in poyson.”

“The inspector cursed the saints. The police stations had no gasoline, the courts had no paper, the hospitals had no thermometers, and meanwhile, the government was thinking about building a bridge over the strait of Messina. But there was always plenty of gasoline for the useless escorts of ministers, vice-ministers, undersecretaries, committee chairmen, senators, chamber deputies, regional deputies, cabinet chiefs, and under-assistant briefcase carriers.”

The Wings of the Sphinx sounds like a wonderful read. I love that Catarelli continues to charm, “poysonally in poyson.” Great review! I'd say it's about time Montabano grew weary of his endless encounters with the ladies!!! Not that I have read the series, but you know how I feel about those fictional serial skirt chasers! ;) Give it up already!

As for give it up already, how about the serial rain and wind either stop or slow down. So weary of the grey skies and nasty rain. Dog walk in the near future of course. ( That is in a hour or so ).

I loved the description in your review more, food, love and murder does a book get any better than that? Yeah to Montalbano. And an anti government rant too, all's the better! And as for the endless skirt chasing, when you have charm, you have charm. What can you do?

Another high spirited review, Nancy. Love it. No doubt we're in Italy with that description. More food, love, and murder Sicilian style! And then add heaps of bureaucracy.

Hi Nancy, Oh my goodness, I think I have you to thank for The Lost Garden, I seem to remember you saying that you loved it and I can see why. Thank you, thank you.

>182 vancouverdeb: hehe, I had to chuckle about your remark on serial skirt chasers, Deb! It's as Carsten says, Those Italians!

>183 mdoris: Hi Mary, exactly: food, love, murder: what more could a girl want. How about a hot Sicilian with an anti-government rant?

>184 ctpress: Yes, I'm in Italy, Carsten : ). You should come. Completely charming!

>185 mdoris: I'm so delighted that you loved The Lost Garden as much as I did, Mary.

Just catching up here! Carry on....

>181 lit_chick: Great review of the Montalbano I've only read a few of these but think I should be more organised and read some more. Do you think I'd miss a lot jumping to the end of the series to read this one?

>187 Berly: Hi Kim.

>188 charl08: Hi Charlotte, at the rate Montalbano's personal life changes, I think you might miss some of that drama. Otherwise, the crime stories themselves read well as stand-alones.

>188 charl08: >189 lit_chick: the latest Montalbano book I read was A Beam of Light, #19 and it was a follow up or referred back to a much earlier book, The Snack Thief, #3. Although, it was so long since I read that book, it really didn't matter!
But even Montalbano's personal life doesn't really change - he drinks, he eats, he fights with Livia.

>190 raidergirl3: Good point, Elizabeth, LOL: he drinks, he eats, he fights with Livia.

Nancy, other than the rain , it's been a great day ! As I mentioned on my thread, I really loved The House at the Edge of the World , I'm enjoying A Jest of God, found that watch I thought I'd lost on a dog walk and our dog walker asked if she could take Poppy for a walk today instead Thursday ,so I can just laze around and not face the rain :) And amazon sent me a notice that the back ordered LL Bailey's book The Book of Memory has been shipped from amazon ca and should arrive later this week. A good 24 hours indeed! :) I purchased A Jest of God from the 2nd hand bookstore and all of a sudden it appealed to me. Rationalizing my TBR books here. :)

Ah! Can't wait to see what you think of My Brilliant Friend. I've been looking a the series, and I might even have My Brilliant Friend in a TBR pile somewhere. It seems to be either loved or quite disliked, so I'll be interested on your take.

Well, Nancy, I've caught up on 120 posts here. Slow down, woman!

The Mary Lawson sounds very good. I have Crow Lake on my TBR shelves - sounds like I need to get to it sooner rather than later!

>192 vancouverdeb: I'll say you've had a good 24 hours, Deb! Woohoo! Got to skip the rain in favour of lazing around the house, finished an excellent book, and have a new parcel on the way from Amazon.

>193 vancouverdeb: Enjoying My Brilliant Friend so far. I'm listening, and the narrator is very good. But not yet very far into the novel.

>194 katiekrug: Now there's the pot giving the kettle advice: slow down, LOL! Oh, Katie, you have to get to Crow Lake, and, yes, much sooner than later!

Hi Nancy,
I finished The Lost Garden tonight and I loved it! It is a gem. I read your review and you expressed it perfectly.
"exquisite storytelling: beautiful, delicate, word-perfect...... I was immediately caught up in its setting and prose and characters: it simply carried me away with the writing"
I couldn't agree more. Thanks for the recommendation! It was so good that I don't want to read anything more for a while.

>196 mdoris: Oh, Mary, i could not be more thrilled! I know just the feeling you mean: It's was so good that I don't want to read anything more for a while. Wonderful!

Nancy, for what it's worth: I enjoyed My Brilliant Friend enough to read the next book, but was kind of wondering what all the fuss was about. It took two books for me to be fully hooked.

>114 lit_chick: Nancy, this is so strange - I was convinced you had already read and recommended Crooked Heart to me but it must have been someone else! Which is to say, it's on the wishlist.

Hi Nancy, hope you are well my dear, sending love and hugs.

Sunny today at last! And fairly warm at 12 or 15 C - not sure, just guessing from what I read on the forecast! :)

#198 Thanks, Laura, that's good to know. I am enjoying My Brilliant Friend so far and had been thinking to listen to the series consecutively, as I did with the Cazalets last year.

#199 Hi Heather, that is funny! Ihave done that before, too, with getting the ource of my recommendations confused. In any case, I am glad that Crooked Heart is on your list.

#200 Hi John, hugs back to you and Karen.

#201 Stop the presses! The sun has appeared in Vancouver!

>112 Berly: fainting couches huh? You learn something every day if you keep your wits about you :)

>203 LovingLit: Great line about wits, Megan!

Nancy, I'm glad you are so taken with the Montalbano series. I've had it on my to-listen-to list ever since Paul rated it as his favorite mystery series several years ago. I'm reminded that I must get back to the Colin Cotterill books first. I'm glad we will never run out of books!

The Orange/Bailey's List looks interesting. I've only read A God in Ruins, The Secret Chord, and My Name is Lucy Barton. The first one is way ahead in my estimation. I have two more on hold at the library for some good reading when I get home.

>205 Donna828: Hi Donna, I think you'll really enjoy Montalbano when you get to him. Didn't know he was Paul's favourite! Not familiar with the Colin Cotterill books, but sounds like maybe I should be.

I've only read The Green Road off the Orange List. Lucy Barton I have and I put a request on a couple of others at my library.

Hi Nancy,
Are you famililar with Arthur Upfield's mysteries? They take place in Australia, often in the outback. He has Detective Inspector Napolean Bonaparte as his sleuth. I have read a few and really liked them and must get back to them. I think you might like them! I have read a few Montalbano but mostly I know him from the DVDs which I have loved.
I think you mentioned that your spring break starts after tomorrow. Hope it's a wonderful one! Spring has sprung here and we had wonderful sunshine today. although frosty this morning.
I am more than half way through the astronaut book by Chris Hadfield. What an accomplished Canadian.

Finally I can wish you a Happy Spring break, Nancy! Enjoy your time off. Life is returning to normal. I'd hoped to get back onto LT earlier this evening, but then our eldest son dropped by at 9 pm to chat about the Power Lifting Competition he is going in on Sunday. I think he is quite excited, but also a bit anxious. Good night from your friend from Night Owl Deb. Hoot!

>206 lit_chick: I am waiting for Lucy Barton - number 17 in the queue at the library.

>207 mdoris: Hi Mary, I'm not familiar with Arthur Upfield's mysteries, but I think that needs to change. I've also enjoyed several of the Montalbano DVDs, and will watch more of them. My library has pretty much the full collection of these : ).

Chris Hadfield is indeed an accomplished Canadian. And so humble and gracious, which endears me to him, the more so in a society so overburdened with celebrity nonsense and entitlement.

Yes, I'm on spring break. Yay!

>208 vancouverdeb: Thanks, Deb! I'm SO ready for a break. Thought about going away, but I'm planning to just sit tight and enjoy some R&R instead. Wow, your son is in a Power Lifting Competition! Good on him! Make me smile with your Hoot!

>209 charl08: Hi Charlotte, Lucy Barton is very popular at my library, too. Not sure when I'll get to it, but this year for certain.

>205 Donna828: & >206 lit_chick: I won't claim any credit for discovering him - he is after all 90 this year - but I have been steadfastly reading his Montalbano books since they first surfaced in english in fourteen years ago.

Escapism with a twist and has the most delightful array of characters magnificently drawn.

Have a lovely weekend and a well-deserved mid-term break, Nancy.

Lucy Barton has been very popular at my library too. It just came in for me yesterday. So many books, so little time at times. I knew the eldest son was into body building, but not Power Lifting and especially not a competition. He told us about the competition about a month ago.When we got the new dishwasher, my husband said - let's pay "Muscle Man " to help him carry the dishwasher up the stairs for Dave to install. That's when Muscle Man revealed to us that he had to take it easy with his lifting due to the competition. Of course we happy for him but oh the irony of it all. Dave and I did not say a word, so Muscle Man did not have to strain his muscles with the dishwasher. Being a mom is so much fun. :) I do love our boys. They are so much fun ,even inadvertently .

Enjoy your R and R! I'll let you know how Daniel does in his competition tomorrow. He has certainly been training hard for it. I hope he does very well.

Hope you're breaking with the best of them, Nancy!
I'm another A. Upfield and Bony fan! The best are right up at the top of my Great Mysteries list. You have to forgive Upfield's 30's racism, but his earlier ones are worth reading past that. You get intimate looks at rural Australia, and Bony is quite a guy. I'd suggest starting with the best (imho), The Sands of Windee. (And if you've read Upfield, forgive an enthusiast's excitement in jumping on a suggestion.)
>212 vancouverdeb: Love the story of the Muscle Man who can't use his muscles! Good luck to him tomorrow!

>211 PaulCranswick: Thanks for the spring break wishes, Paul. I'm going to call you LT's Montalbano aficionado.

>212 vancouverdeb: I hope Daniel does really well tomorrow too, Deb! That's a funny story about Dave, Daniel and Muscle Man, LOL!

>213 LizzieD: Thanks, Peggy. Yours is another excellent endorsement of Arthur Upfield's mysteries. Onto the ever-burgeoning list!

Enjoyed the review of All My Puny Sorrows very much. Not sure if it is a book I will seek out, but I liked reading about it - yours is the second thoughtful review I've encountered here. It obviously makes a person think.

I've read one Upfield and liked it very much. A little dated, but not hopelessly - and it does reveal the "way it was" in the bush back then.

>215 sibylline: Thanks, Lucy. You're spot-on that All My Puny Sorrows is a book that makes a person think.

Another endorsement for Upfield, so he is definitely on the list. Now, when I'll get to him, that's another matter.

Hi Deb, I also love Inspector Montalbano and need to get back to the next book I am up to, also I will be getting the DVD's of the series shown on BBC Four over the last couple of years. Hope you are having a good weekend my dear, sending love and hugs.

>217 johnsimpson: Hi John, yay for another Montalbano fan! Happy weekend to you and Karen, love and hugs from Canada.

Happy first day of spring, everyone! I've seen several robins this week here in my corner of the Okanagan, and our bulbs have been up for weeks. Yes!

What a beautiful robin, Nancy. Have a great spring break and easter week.

Hi Nancy, I do keep calling you Deb my dear, we have had a good weekend thanks and a good week but Karen is back at work tomorrow. Happy first day of spring, I have Robins on my bird feeder in both the front and back garden, in fact there are a few and they chirrup in the tree a couple of gardens down from me and if I am out I try to mimic their sound and they fly onto the feeder. I have tried to get one to come and get food from my hand, the nearest they have got is about six feet from me but I keep trying. Love and hugs from the UK my dear.

>216 lit_chick: Very pretty , Nancy! I don't think I've seen a robin as yet, but my usual walking area is near to the Fraser/ Pacific Ocean, so mallards, herons, wood ducks and all manner of water fowl are about. Really we are never free of them - seagulls, crows, snow geese etc. At least the snow-geese have migrated north I think.

Raining of course today.

Congrats on making it to Spring Break--make the most of it!!

Wahoo for Spring Break, Nancy!

>220 ctpress: Thanks, Carsten, you too, my friend : ).

>221 johnsimpson: Hi John, I realize you keep calling me Deb, LOL! But as the old adage goes, I've been called worse. How lovely that you've got robins feeding in your garden.

>222 vancouverdeb: Hi Deb, makes sense you'd have an abundance of waterfowl about. I do love our little red robins (actually, some of them aren't that little). They make me think of my dad. Of course it's raining: you live in Vancouver!

>223 Berly: Thanks, Kim.

>224 lkernagh: Woohoo, is for sure! Thanks, Lori.

16.
My Brilliant Friend, Elena Ferrante



Rating: 4/5

2015, Blackstone Audiobooks, Read by Hillary Huber

In a vibrant but poor Naples neighbourhood in the 1950s, two best friends: Lila Cerullo and Elena Greco learn to rely on one another ahead of all else in order to survive on the tough neighbourhood streets. The girls, though in many ways opposites, are both brilliant students; but, of course, this is not a time when education for women is appreciated, much less extolled. When Lila joins the family shoemaking business, Elena is determined to carry on with her studies. But how far will she get, and to what end? Yet even as their paths diverge, we are aware that the girls’ destinies are inescapably linked. Through them, Ferrante tells not only an engaging and turbulent coming-of-age story, but also the story of a working class neighbourhood and of a country being transformed by history.

Narrated by Elena, My Brilliant Friend begins in her early childhood and closes with Lila’s marriage. As the novel concludes, Lila’s future is, at least for the time being, relatively predictable, but not so that of Elena. With Lila married, her place within the framework of neighbourhood and friends is insecure. And there is social and familial pressure to marry, particularly from her mother:

“When Lila, splendid in the dazzling white cloud of her dress and the gauzy veil, processed through the Church of the Holy Family on the arm of the shoemaker and joined Stefano, who looked extremely handsome, at the flower-decked altar … my mother, even if her wandering eye seemed to gaze elsewhere, looked at me to make me regret that I was there, in my glasses, far from the center of the scene, while my bad friend had acquired a wealthy husband, economic security for her family, a house of her own, not rented but bought, with a bathtub, a refrigerator, a television, and a telephone.” (Ch 58)

I was hesitant somewhat to begin this Neapolitan series, which has garnered so much positive review – heightened expectations having been my disappointment on more than one occasion. But I thoroughly enjoyed My Briliant Friend, and I’m curious enough to read on, so The Story of a New Name is up next.

HI Nancy Loved the picture of the sweet bird in your spring good wishes.
I haven't read any of the Ferrante books either so I will be following your reading experience for recommendations. Great review!
Hope you are enjoying your break with lots of R&R&R (reading) and some sunny weather.

Like the cover with the smiling girl - a coming of age story is always welcome. Great review, Nancy - and I'm glad it lived up to the heightened expectations :)

>227 mdoris: Hi Mary, enjoying spring break tremendously, for just the reasons you point out: R&R&R! Will keep you posted on the Ferrante novels. I'm thinking I'll listen to these consecutively.

>2238 Thanks, Carsten, it is a lovely cover, isn't it? Laura posted above that she did not feel fully invested in the Ferrante novels until the end of the second one, so I'm hoping my experience will be the same: that I'll find them getting better as I go.

>226 lit_chick: my dads partner just emailed me asking if I knew this author and I had to say no. But now I do! She was interviewed on our national radio service recently, I think. I had added them to my WL....for one day :)

>226 lit_chick: *happy dance* I'm so glad you enjoyed it, Nancy. I'm reading them in print but have heard the audio editions are well done. The fourth book is next up on my TBR and I can't wait, although I will probably also feel sad to have come to the end.

As the novel concludes, Lila’s future is, at least for the time being, relatively predictable
Hmm. Read on, my friend. Read on. :)

So glad that you enjoyed My Brilliant Friend, Nancy! Great review - you are tempting me . It's a series I've been pondering on for months now. I'll be watching your reviews with the further books in the series.

>230 LovingLit: Hi Megan, would have liked to hear Ferrante interviewed. These Neapolitan novels have sure picked up a to of press.

>231 lauralkeet: Oh, you make me want to cancel my day and just turn on my iPod!: Hmm. Read on, my friend. Read on.! Glad for your endorsement of these, Laura. I'm going to listen to them consecutively. It's true the audio editions are very well done.

>232 vancouverdeb: Thanks, Deb. I pondered this series, too, and then finally was pushed from behind, as my friend would say, LOL! I know you know what I mean, because you've pushed me often enough, hehe.